2024 News (Broadcast) Winners
About the Winners:
The Hechinger Report’s painstaking reporting and data collection shows how the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on race-conscious admissions is influencing the racial makeup of future classes and influencing campus programs. Reporters quickly determined that many colleges were dropping scholarships that considered race or ethnicity.
They also discovered the disappearance of so-called pipeline programs, which typically involve mentoring, access to research opportunities and other supports, especially for those pursuing graduate and professional degrees, and are designed to help underrepresented groups thrive. The 10-minute documentary – produced in partnership with Soledad O’Brien Productions, Retro Report and TIME Magazine – ties together this reporting and shows how some of these changes are playing out at the University of Alabama, which in many respects reflects what’s happening nationally.
Comments From the Judges:
“It helps see the ‘other’ side from a human perspective while showing both sides of a very complex story. Great job with the basic storytelling. The story did a good job using file video as well. Deeply reported. I like the way they relate the national changes to DEI to specific cases and characters. Also that they found people who thought the dismantling of DEI was a good idea.”
“The opening pulls me into the story. It’s kind of a suspense / teaser lead. It made me wonder. Kind of a ‘Meet the Press’ set of reporting. But that was a way to humanize the reporting. This is a good story showing the impact on people of the changes made by the new administration. I really appreciate how this story shows the tangible changes now made by the new laws. I was really impressed that you were able to find a student and others who were willing to go on camera to discuss other sides of the story. Also, nice link to history. You did a great job finding a variety of sources from a variety of angles. These are tough issues. And you got to the point of the impact over the long haul.”
Photo credit: The Hechinger Report & Retro Report
